Corruption, not scarce resources, cause poverty: PM

ISLAMABAD:

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday identified corruption as the leading factor underlying the prevalent poverty in the developing countries, saying they were poor not because of scarce resources.

“Corruption is something which destroys a country. The poor countries are poor not because they lack resources but because their leadership is corrupt,” the prime minister said in an interview with Al Jazeera.

The developing world is poor because the ruling elite siphoned off the money and laundered it into offshore accounts, he added.

PM Imran said he wanted to establish Pakistan on the principles of the state of Madina. The rule of law and public welfare were the two guiding principles of the state of Madina, he explained.

“A society is civilized only when it has the rule of law. Without rule of law, there is no future. When ministers start stealing, you cannot make progress,” he remarked.

‘Fight against corrupt ruling elite’

About his political struggle, the prime minister said his fight was against the corrupt ruling elite that was destroying the country. He told the interviewer that there were two entrenched family-run political parties, so fighting them was like fighting a mafia.

The prime minister said both parties had money and state resources which also used money and media against him.

Speaking about corruption in his government, he said he would order a probe if anyone points out any corrupt practice by any of his ministers. The government had ordered a probe into the sugar crisis after some of the ruling party members were found involved in the scam, he added.

Imran said as far as lower-level corruption by government officials is concerned, the government was introducing automation to do away with it.

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To a question, the prime minister said his government had inherited the highest ever debt, fiscal deficit and current account deficit which takes time to recover.

The premier said Pakistan was declared among the best to have effectively navigated through the Covid-19 pandemic by maintaining a balance between lives and livelihood.

He noted that like other developing countries, Pakistan was also faced with imported inflation owing to the price hike of commodities such as edible oil and pulses which are imported.

Imran added that in order to do away with the disparity in the education system, the government has introduced one core educational curriculum with the “consensus” and consultation of all stakeholders.

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Talking about Islamophobia, PM Imran said the Muslim leaders never portrayed real Islam before the West, particularly after 9/11.

This made the Muslims in western countries face Islamophobia despite the fact terrorism had no relation with Islam, he said further.

He said Imran Khan alone could not make any change, rather the whole Muslim world must take a joint stance at forums such as the United Nations to make some difference.

To a question about Afghanistan, he said Pakistan was faced with a very difficult situation after the exit of the United States and its allies and the subsequent Taliban takeover. He maintained that the world, including the US, should think rationally for sake of 40 million people or else the situation would lead to chaos and terrorism.

In case of any chaos in Afghanistan, Pakistan would suffer greatly as the country had already been hosting three million Afghan refugees.

The premier further said it was insanity what the west had been doing in the country for the past 20 years and said no Afghan was involved in 9/11 but western powers occupied Afghanistan to achieve objectives that could never be achieved through military means. Due to the very stance, the prime minister said, he was criticized immensely.

On the Kashmir dispute, he said Pakistan had the responsibility to raise the issue at every forum. About the role of Muslim countries, the premier said all Muslim states have their own independent relations with India so Pakistan does not expect much from them.

In response to a question, the prime minister said if India made any strike on Pakistan, it would respond exactly the way it had done in 2019.

“Only mad people can think of bringing two nuclear powers face to face. Indian people are good but they are being ruled by fanatics,” he remarked.